November Top Picks from London’s Off West End
A comfy seat in a warm theatre is a more attractive prospect
than ever now that the clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in. A
quick glance down the list of shows recently reviewed by WOS will leave you in
no doubt as to the quality of material out there this autumn, and November
looks set to continue the trend, with a particular emphasis on topical and timely work.
Keep reading for the latest installment of our indispensable guide to the London
fringe over the next month.
We start with a play that’s not really a play, the
interactive theatre experience, A Small Town Anywhere, which
runs at the BAC until 7 November. Email the local historian before you go and
be assigned a character, then work with other audience members on the night in
this gripping exploration of community relations.
Next up is Motherland at the Tristan
Bates Theatre (until 7 November), a verbatim drama about those left behind when
their loved ones go to war. This ensemble piece uses emotive material to
examine the extraordinary strength of heart and mind found in the mothers,
wives and daughters of those lost in combat.
A happy coincidence sees Hampstead Theatre and Theatre Royal, Stratford East each
hosting a brilliantly received play that focuses on the British Asian experience.
What Fatima Did… , which runs at Hampstead until 7 November,
looks at a young Muslim woman’s decision to wear the hijab, while The
Great Extension at Theatre Royal, Stratford East (until 14 November),
takes a humorous approach towards British and Asian attitudes.
Still keeping with our theme of topical theatre is
Bedbound at the Lion and Unicorn, a deeply disturbing play about a troubled
father/daughter relationship (until 22 November). Playwright Enda Walsh, whose
previous works include Hunger and The Walworth
Farce, builds
the pressure in this small theatre to the point of claustrophobia with dialogue
that is both thrilling and poetic.
And finally, internationally renowned playwright, Edward
Bond, has a new play making its premiere with just four performances at the
Oval House. A Window, which deals with how to maintain
our humanity in an inhuman world, is Bond’s seventh play to be commissioned by
Big Brum, the company producing the show. It runs from 11 to
14 November, with a Q&A with
the dramatist following the show on 11 November.
